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A Bronze Figure of Mahavairocana (Dainichi Nyorai)
- NANBOKUCHO PERIOD, DATED 1334

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A Bronze Figure of Mahavairocana (Dainichi Nyorai)
NANBOKUCHO PERIOD, DATED 1334
Estimate
(Set Currency)
    $120,000 - $180,000

Sale Information

Sale 2193
japanese & korean art
17 September 2009
New York, Rockefeller Plaza

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Lot Description

A Bronze Figure of Mahavairocana (Dainichi Nyorai)
Nanbokucho period, dated 1334
Seated dhyanasana with hands in the mudra of meditation, dressed as a bodhisattva in crown, necklace and arm bracelets, the robe open at the torso and cast in rounded pleats over the legs, the coiffure finely cast in curved cascades of hair, looping over each ear, the patina rich black and blackish brown with traces of late gilding; dated and inscribed on lower back Kozuke no kuni Nitta Yamamotojo no humoto, Mannenzan Shojuin Sogenji dendo konryu no setsu, Honzonbutsu no tame, seshu odanna, Kenmu gan kojutsu nen (1334) Nitta sa-chujo Minamoto Yoshisada (Nitta Yoshisada)
11 7/8in. (30.3cm.)

Provenance

Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko (1887-1990), Prime Minister of Japan, 17 August--9 October 1945

Lot Notes

The inscription states that the sculpture was commissioned in 1334 by Nitta Yoshisada (1301-1338), as the principal Buddha in commemoration of the construction of Shojuin Sogenji Temple at the foot of Yamamoto Castle in the province of Kozuke (modern Gunma Prefecture).

Kozuke was Nitta's home province. He supported the southern court of Go-Daigo in the Nanbokucho period, capturing Kamakura from the Hojo clan in 1333. Following the fall of Kamakura, he was appointed governor of Echigo and vice-governor of Harima and Kozuke provinces.

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